Writing about us is a way to finally claim what happened as my truth, a space which is mine, where he can’t tell me what to feel. A moment, two years too late, of recognition. To say, without compromise or shame, I loved him. And he abused me. You don’t have to believe me. I don’t need him to read the emails. I just want to look in the mirror, see the girl staring back at me, and let her know that I’m sorry.
Reading Room
“Dazzle Camouflage” is the honourable mention for Room's Creative Non-Fiction Contest 2019. Here's what the judge, Terese Marie Mailhot, has to say about the essay: “‘Dazzle Camouflage’ was full of beautiful language and the depth of the work was wonderful to sit with. It was personal and cerebral and the voice within the work felt poetic and full. What does it mean to inhabit an identity or be part of a larger community and shared history? It’s a beautiful essay looking closely at the self.”
/let it out/
they tear
through my
rawing throat,
saliva & blood
bubbling out
Ladies and gentlemen, please.
Thank you, thank you—yes, the magic
tonight was real.
A gargoyle sits at the end of my garden, a plastic resin Mother’s Day present, wrapped with charms of love and my children’s perspicacity. Her name is Marthe and her job is protection. Most of all, she is to guard me and mine from the dragon.
“Pieces of Me” is the honourable mention of Room’s 2019 Fiction Contest as selected by judge Catherine Hernandez.
Currently on Newsstands
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Room 42.2, Borderlands
Edited by Rebecca RussellIn this issue:
Selina Boan, Jenna Butler, Leonarda Carranza, Carolina Corcoran, Šari Dale, Marisol Diaz, Sarah Ens, Paola Ferrante, Katie Fewster-Yan, Hannah Hackney, Lori Hahnel, Natalie Homer, Liz Iversen, Jac Jenkins, Jaslyn Marshall, Laura McGavin, Emily McKibbon, Alessandra Naccarato, Ezi Odozor, Caitlin Prince, Rebecca Salazar, Ellie Sawatzky, Alysia Sawchyn, Farihah Aliyah Shah, Josephine Sloyan, Tanya R. Ward, jiaqing wilson-yang, Elana Wolff
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Interview Room
Room is currently calling for visual art submissions for our Annual Cover Art Contest as judged by Lindsay Nixon! The first place winner will receive $500 and publication on the cover of an upcoming issue. Contest will close in January 2020.
Author Mona Awad (Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, Bunny) chats with Mica about her new book and the various ways women perform sweetness—and for what reasons. Do we want power? Protection? A way to seduce? Or simply an exit strategy from an uncomfortable conversation? All of the above?
Mom Egg Review is about being a mother, in its many varieties. It is also about being a daughter, worker, partner, artist, a member of cultures and communities, and explores how these identities can collide and coexist.
Reviews
Whatever, Iceberg chronicles an all-too-familiar queer romance interwoven with polyamory, single parenting, chronic pain, poverty, and aging. Despite the specificity of Ziniuk’s writing, the collection remains relatable for anyone who has ever been in a badly timed romance or burned by a lover.
While reading GG’s new graphic novel, I’m Not Here, I was reminded of a short story by Delmore Schwartz, in which the narrator goes into a cinema and, much to their amazement and dismay, f
Each of the fifteen stories, mostly populated by female protagonists at less-than-perfect moments in their lives, show the work of a generous writer committed to creating characters unapologetically being themselves in all their flawed, misguided glory.
Room with a View
Poetry Contest 2019: The Shortlist
Photo credit: Carissa D'andrade
The 2019 poetry shortlist is here. Congrats to the nine poets whose submissions were selected by our esteemed judge, Pamela Mordecai!
Room's 2019 Poetry Contest: The Shortlist
Poetry Contest 2019: The Longlist
Photo credit: Carissa D'andrade
You've waited long enough. Here are the fourteen longlisted poems from our 2019 Poetry Contest!
Room's 2019 Poetry Contest: The Longlist
